Things one middle-aged economist finds interesting

More silliness from the Left. John Edwards proposes that the federal government assure every qualified student a free freshman year in college. He says it will cost only $3 billion. Gee, Senator, why stop with only one year, then? Four years would cost about $12 billion. Throw in $3 billion more to let the students relax a little and take a fifth year. Add another $6 billion and they could get two years of graduate school, enough for a solid Master's degree. That still totals only $21 billion, which is well less than half of the Department of Education's FY2003 budget request. What are we waiting for??

Some on the Left oppose the Administration's proposed air pollution rules. (NY Times, registration required.) It seems that many plants don't upgrade their pollution controls because if they do, they then must meet very stringent standards. So they just keep polluting at heavy rates. The Administration proposes to let such plants upgrade--make at least marginal improvements--without triggering the more stringent requirements. The Left pursues absolutes; conservatives would rather make the world a little better, rather than make it a lot worse through pursuing absolutes. This is the very heart of the conservative/liberal divide.

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More silliness from the Left. John Edwards proposes that the federal government assure every qualified student a free freshman year in college. He says it will cost only $3 billion. Gee, Senator, why stop with only one year, then? Four years would cost about $12 billion. Throw in $3 billion more to let the students relax a little and take a fifth year. Add another $6 billion and they could get two years of graduate school, enough for a solid Master's degree. That still totals only $21 billion, which is well less than half of the Department of Education's FY2003 budget request. What are we waiting for??

Some on the Left oppose the Administration's proposed air pollution rules. (NY Times, registration required.) It seems that many plants don't upgrade their pollution controls because if they do, they then must meet very stringent standards. So they just keep polluting at heavy rates. The Administration proposes to let such plants upgrade--make at least marginal improvements--without triggering the more stringent requirements. The Left pursues absolutes; conservatives would rather make the world a little better, rather than make it a lot worse through pursuing absolutes. This is the very heart of the conservative/liberal divide.